Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Saturday called up All Parties Hurriyat Conference Chairperson Syed Ali Shah Geelani to discuss the “human rights situation” in Kashmir, The Indian Express reported.
Qureshi and Geelani had an “in-depth” conversation on alleged human rights violations in the Valley and the political situation in the state, the daily reported citing sources.
India will respond to this phone call on Sunday, The Indian Express quoted government officials as saying.
On Wednesday, Qureshi spoke to Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, a leader of another faction of the Hurriyat Conference. In response, India’s Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale summoned Islamabad’s envoy and conveyed India’s condemnation “of this latest brazen attempt by Pakistan to subvert India’s unity” and accused Pakistan of direct interference in New Delhi’s domestic affairs.
However, Pakistan rejected the criticism, saying there was “nothing new” in such phone calls. “We would like to reiterate that Kashmir is an outstanding dispute between India and Pakistan, and acknowledged as such through United Nations Security Council resolutions as well as numerous Pakistan-India documents including the Simla Agreement and Lahore Declaration,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had added.
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